We're All Pretenders
by Agent Pumpkin
Summary: After winding up on an otherwise deserted island, Wilson and Whimsy venture the only possible way forward - through a cave. Discovering inside that there are many secrets to be foretold, as well as new people to meet, many places to visits, not to mention a strange cat who deems to know everything about the island and beyond, can they assume this is their salvation? Or.. a way out?
1. New Discoveries

**Hey guys, it's me, Agent-Pumpkin, but you probably already knew that. **

**So firstly, yes, as you probably noticed, I changed my user name – I am now Agent-Pumpkin almost everywhere. Secondly, yes, this IS the first chapter to the apparently long-awaited sequel to WoHC. I'm sincerely hoping it'll be a brilliant read for you all, and I'd like to take a small moment to thank every single one of my readers for sticking by me since the beginning of Wonders of Human Contact, and to any new readers, I hope this is a pleasant read for you (though you'd be better reading WoHC first if you haven't done so). Thanks so much! Thirdly, I started an Ask-Wilson/Whimsy thing on Tumblr, so if you could follow on there, that would be so great – I thank you for any support in advance! The link is on my author profile on here, if you wish to do so – and if not, I totally understand too! ^^**

**So, without further ado, here's the first chapter – please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, yes, there are some odd things in this fic, and original characters and places. I hope this doesn't anger anybody. This chapter will probably be a little shorter as it's the opening one; bear that in mind, please.**

**~Jess~**

**X x**

People who claimed that shadows were mere figments of imagination were wrong. Ignorant liars. It wasn't so much a pretence, rather something that most people were able to block out, treating them as if "out of sight, out of mind" could really fix everything wrong with the darkness; pretending that simply not paying attention to them would make them go away and melt into nothing; acting as if nothing went on when the lights faded out.

Of course, they were all pretenders.

Whimsy couldn't deny that she had felt eerie presences as they trailed through the vast cave, slender fingers trailing down her back and over her shoulders, as if warning her to go back as some greater (and more scary) force lay ahead of them. However, she had not let her imagination run wild – she hadn't been able to, for keeping her securely in touch with her sanity was Wilson, whom clung tightly to her hand, a torch in his other like so many times before. During their times of darkness, he always seemed to be there, equipped and ready. As if feeling her tension, Wilson spoke up softly.

"There's nothing you haven't faced already here, Whimsy. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe."

The sentence soothed her busy mind, though it didn't still the adrenaline that was coursing through her limbs, as if preparing her to run at the slightest sign of danger. She had to keep in mind that this place seemed vague and almost normal, almost like something they would see back home, give or take a vacation. Despite it's exterior and gaping entrance, the pathways were now quite narrow and conspicuously different to whatever form they seemed to have taken upon first glance. The rough rubble beneath their feet was no match for their tough boots, but was still sharp through their soles. There wasn't much to the cave, just a general, normal, bleak outlook of nothingness. She had become accustomed to feeling helpless and beyond any kind of aid; not even Wilson and his mastermind ways could rid her of that feeling on occasion. However, it was rare for her to feel so lost nowadays...

"I know you will," she breathed, peering around, despite there being nothing to see. She wouldn't speak up about it just now, but she could feel the tell-tale pang of hunger racing around in her gut. She hadn't eaten very long ago, but it had barely filled a hole in her stomach, leaving her quite unsatisfied and hungry for more substance. Carefully, she stepped over a large rock and then tightened her grip on Wilson's hand, partially to let him know she was doing fine and partially to curb her own guilty pleasures. She enjoyed the warmth of his hands, even wished she could feel it more often on occasion. Perhaps it was the Winter getting to her... warmth always seemed so hard to come by as soon as that "glorious" season rolled around.

Wilson was currently facing a dilemma: his own twisted feelings. He knew he had to relieve them somehow, had to get them off of his chest... but no time seemed an appropriate one with everything that was going on. Having to seek refuge while being on the move had taken its toll on them, and had made them weaker than they'd ever been since they started travelling together; what the scientist found odd was that there had been no signs of Maxwell's cronies for a good while now. He figured they would have run into spiders or _something _by now. But no, excluding the odd shadows on the wall that seemed to try and grasp them from time to time, everything was undisturbed and silent.

"Perhaps we could stop for a little while... count together what supplies we have, and make some kind of plan," the gentleman said calmly, taking his bag from his back. What he would've done for the icebox full of food right then... he wasn't so hungry himself, but some meat sure would have taken his mind off of the emptiness in his head at that current moment. It seemed that anything would have sufficed as a lowly substitute for the endless arguments his brain pitted against him.

Stopping in their tracks, Whimsy sat down on a rock and thought. Her mind was still blank after she had fallen asleep in the sea – she couldn't remember a single thing, even though she desperately wanted to. She could recall being lifted up, and movement beneath her, but she hadn't had the faintest clue where she was, or even how she was. Was she lucky to be alive? Either way, she was still as lost as she was since she first woke up. She suddenly shuddered, feeling the sensation of discomfort creep up her arms as a shadow seemed to sneak over her, enveloping her tiny body with its "fingers"; she leapt to her feet and began to pace, not going unnoticed by Wilson himself.

Too busy to worry about her for the meantime, Wilson carried on with his tasks. Some grass, sticks, flint, a couple batches of berries, a few bunches of bananas, a tiny bit of gold and another queer metal littered the ground in front of him.

"Oh dear...," he sighed, staring at the produce ahead of him, not feeling very optimistic about it. "I felt I had a little more than this... and more useful too."

He frowned deeper as he set to work, making meek, sorry-looking tools out of what he had. He didn't feel right asking Whimsy to construct them (even though, admittedly, she could make them better than he could), she still looked so 'out-of-it' due to her near death experience. Truth be told, the episode in the ocean was the only time he had ever truly feared loneliness. Wilson was a reserved man anyway – he kept himself to himself and was very much indulged in his own company, finding it the best possible source of comfort he could get, but Whimsy had taught him that not everything could be gained from himself, and that he had to learn to reach out to others sometimes, if only for them to hand him a part for his latest invention in which he couldn't quite reach. It was the simple things he found himself thanking. The day-to-day chit-chat, the extra pair of eyes to help him sought things out and discover new things, those types of things that anybody who had been surrounded by people for a lifetime would probably have forgotten.

"There we go...," he whispered to himself as he pulled back from his handiwork, observing his weak attempt at an axe. Definitely not a formidable weapon, but it was no worse than what he used to make, and it would certainly keep reasonably sized enemies away. He still had his spear too, as luck would have it. He further constructed a shovel, a pitchfork, and a pick-axe.

"Mighty helpful." he heard from his side and he turned his head to give her a smile. Whimsy had always been fairly supportive, and it made him feel pleasured to know she was the first – and, in his books, hopefully the last – to make him feel special, in a way that didn't make him feel like he needed some kind of special doctor.

He chuckled at her, apparently humoured. "Don't you go back-pedalling on me, feeling sorry for yourself. You could have made them better, and you know it."

She let out a "pfft" of humour, before shrugging nonchalantly and nodding her head. "I suppose so." the small female paused for a moment, before twitching slightly in the musky air, picking herself up to stand in front of Wilson, who was still knelt down. "We should start moving again. We don't know what's here, something could happen any time..."

"Don't you want to eat first?" he asked, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. She wasn't going to refuse him again, was she...? It was an unpleasant time, when she couldn't accept that she needed his help and tried to do everything on her own, only to have a breakdown in the form of broken memories and horrific nightmares. As predicted, she shook her head, though what he didn't foretell was a smile as she did so.

"I will later." she grinned. Wilson stared at her a moment, before nodding slowly and then standing up, picking up his newly-made tools and torch with him, easing the former items into his bag. He slung his bag over his shoulders and adjusted the direction of his light, before offering his hand out to her again, her accepting it graciously. He enjoyed feeling close to her, enjoyed keeping her safe, it made him feel more of a man. He wouldn't have said that his manhood had been compromised in any which way since being brought here, merely he had forgotten his place in the world and didn't really feel comfortable amongst the contents of this odd world.

They continued to walk down the passageways that the cave so unpredictably threw their way. It didn't seem possible, the cave seemed small enough to trek around it in a day from the outside, but inside it, it was a completely different story; almost as if it was bigger on the inside.

"Huh? Wait," Whimsy opened her mouth to speak, stopping walking all together, Wilson shortly following suit and raising a brow at her. "What's that down there?" she asked, peering down the narrow walkway. It seemed to be a large rectangle, but it wasn't identifiable from such a large distance away. Slowly, she tugged Wilson along with her, venturing closer to the peculiar object in question. She knew better than to rush towards it out of raw curiosity, everything so far had, in one way or another, tried to kill her in this blasted world. Once only a few feet around from it, she stopped, confused.

It seemed to be... a _door_.

**X x**

Maxwell was furious. His "comrades" had returned, but had brought back no news of the two's whereabouts. They were making him out to be a fool! Standing up from his seat in rage, he paced around the room, his shoes making eerie echoes sound throughout the entire place. The shadows behind him seemed to cower as he moved around swiftly, debating on what to do. Perhaps he could simply call on his shadow hands to locate them – they could finally be of some use.

He snapped his fingers demandingly, two dark hands emerging from his shadow and disappearing into the floor to retrieve the targets they had silently been ordered to collect. A moment passed... then a minute... then another... and Maxwell was only getting more impatient. When they eventually returned, the demon looked pleased – until he discovered they were empty handed.

He narrowed his gaze and dismissed them, sitting down again with a restless and angry sigh. Suddenly, realisation seemed to strike him, as if a giant epiphany had simply landed its way into his brain.

"If they cannot bring them back...," he paused, eyes softening a little as he began to understand his situation. "That means they must be out of my area..."

**X x**

This didn't make much sense. After deducing that nothing harmful was down the way they had started to explore, Wilson and Whimsy had weaselled their way through the tight gaps, coming face to face with a door. It had an odd appearance, almost like a dungeon door. It wasn't the fact that it was a door that was so surprising, in fact, as Whimsy had discovered what it was when she had gone closer. No, what was so surprising was its whereabouts. Why was it here, of all places? The dust on the giant loop (that seemed to be the door handle, Wilson noted silently) implied it hadn't been touched for years. However, the wood was still strong and almost-pristine as ever. Like a newly built door, in fact.

Whimsy stood on her tip-toes, trying to see through the metal 'gate' at the top, but nothing greeted her eyes excluding the typical darkness she was so used to seeing. She frowned a little. Surely there was something on the other side, so why couldn't she see anything there? She sighed, standing normally again, before noticing a small lock indicated just under the door handle. Turning to the scientist, she sighed yet again.

"I don't think we could progress anyway. It's locked."

"That's odd. It doesn't seem as if there's anybody – or anything – around to lock it...," he replied, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Or hold onto some kind of key." he added, brushing a hand through his messy black hair, trying to make sense of something. Softly, he pushed Whimsy out of the way, hands making gentle contact with her back, before kneeling down and examining the lock; upon first glance, it was typical, but he began to gain a strong feeling that he had seen it before, even though it couldn't be possible. Something in his mind was clicking, and whatever it was, it was strong enough to make him think he understood just what was supposed to fit in that lock. He stared at it hard, mind whirring with a long forgotten aptitude.

And then his mind recalled something important.

"Whimsy," he said quietly, earning a curious glance from the female beside him. "Do you still have that key?"

The sculptor stiffened. She did, it was securely in her pocket as per usual. She felt a peculiar buzz of excitement as she touched the small item in her back pocket, nodding silently at him. His lips quirked a little, a slow smile making its way onto his face, the flames from the torch flickering gently against his pale complexion giving him an almost angelic look. She thanked the dark around her as a soft tint of colour raised to her cheeks at the thought, before she handed the key slowly over to him, dropping it cooperatively into the palm of his hand.

"Thank you," he muttered as he inserted the key slowly into the lock, blowing away dust as he did so. The door gave a callous creak as he twisted the key, the lock clicking ominously. He couldn't believe that had _worked_. Of all the things that could have possibly happened, it had actually _worked_. He wasn't used to that, wasn't used to things going his way, or even slightly to his advantage.

As the door swung open a tiny fraction, a certain giddiness took over the gentleman. This was working! He stood up straight with a new found confidence, tightening his grip on the torch and handing the key back to Whimsy, who slunk a thin rope through the hole at the top of the key, tying it and draping it around her neck. She felt it was safer there – always in view. And if she wanted to hide it, she could always tuck it under her shirt, her shirt not coming down very far collar-wise anyway. Wilson raised a brow at her, before turning his attention back to the door. Having nowhere else to go, it would only be logical to go this way...

"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you."

A foreign voice? It definitely hadn't been Whimsy who had spoken, he knew her voice all too well – it made him smile and feel warm and happy inside. This voice was short in speech and dull in tone – all in all, not too pleasant. He turned his head to Whimsy, who looked equally as puzzled, a fraction of fear in her blank eyes, before the pair of them looked back at who had spoken, recoiling slightly in shock.

Sat there behind them, was a tiny, black cat.

**X x**

**Done, done, done~! Anyhow, don't worry, all will make sense in the next chapter – well, okay, not ALL, but c'mon, this is just the beginning. I hope this was okay for an opening chapter, things WILL develop as time goes on so you can be sure to not misplace judgement or anything when I tell you it'll be good. Please, if you like this story, and haven't checked out my prequel, The Wonders of Human Contact, please do so, you'll like that too – and please, if you have a minute of spare time, follow me on Tumblr ****(again, the link's on my page) and/or DeviantART too! **

**Please review, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on all of this nonsense~!**

**~Jess  
**


	2. An Unlikely Alliance

**Hey guys, it's Agent Pumpkin here, but you probably already knew that.**

**So, thank you to everybody who reviewed, favourited and followed this fic since the first chapter, I really can't wait to get this show on the road. A pointer, I may post up another story in the midst of writing this one (introducing my character Robyn, and Pumpkin, her dog – also, on the topic of that, I have an Ask/RPing Tumblr for her, so if you ever want to RP with me, send me a message on there – here's the link:** robyn – the – hybrid . tumblr . c o m**- take out the spaces. I would be delighted to answer any questions you have for her, or RP with ANYBODY, whether in the DS fandom or not! NOTE: If the link does not work, it's on my Author Profile!) as I've been working on it for a while and would hate to not be able to post it up here; it'd only be seven/eight chapters long, so even if I left this story a little to update that one, you could guarantee it wouldn't overtake it for long. But still, that one is still in the works, and is only a maybe as of now. For now, enjoy the next chapter to We're All Pretenders, and I hope you enjoy it. Please review, and tell me of your opinions. **

**Warning: The contents of this chapter are pretty far-fetched, as it stands at the this current place in the story.**

**Thanks for reading, and a good day to you all. **

**~Jess~**

**X x**

If superstitions were to be relied upon, the both of them were cursed with bad luck as the tiny creature slunk past, sitting in front of Wilson's feet, seeming to block them from going through the door. Its size made that impossible though, there was no way an animal so small could hold them back effectively. So why wasn't Wilson feeling the desire to move? Was it the fact that Science had just been blown over with the fact that an _animal _was currently conversing with them, or was it purely because he was too shocked out of his wits, despite coming face to face with abnormalities before, to simply walk past the cat? Whatever it was, it was strong enough to keep the grown man, albeit thin and lanky, securely locked in place.

"Wh-What...?" he whispered to nobody in particular, not understanding. It shouldn't have shocked him this much, Maxwell's island was crawling with creatures that broke the basic evolutionary rules, not to mention they hosted appearances never seen by general mankind, ever. He shifted on his feet slowly, trying to make sense of the situation as the little cat's ears flicked back and forth a few times, as if adjusting to hearing voices. Was this little kitten all alone too? What was it even doing there? This was no place for a creature so typical... and what was a _regular_ animal doing there? He had only just realised, save for the speaking thing that seemed to be going on here, that this cat looked like a cat back from the real world – his regular world. It was just... odd...

The small animal flicked its gaze between Wilson and Whimsy, apparently searching them, before sighing. The number of centuries it had gone without seeing another living soul was just sad. It'd almost forgotten what to expect from regular people when all it had come face to face with was monsters, demons, devils and ghouls.

"How did you get here?" it questioned, tilting its head to look up at the scientist before it. His unruly hair-do only added to his height, making him seem even more intimidating. From beside him, the little cat could make a fuzzy dog-like thing sat behind the female's legs, huge tongue loitering around casually.

"The better question is... how are you talking?" Wilson murmured, perplexed as he began to circle the raven-haired feline, inspecting it from every angle. It was just a normal, every-day cat... how was this possible?! Meanwhile, Whimsy watched the scientist, holding back a giggle. His inquisitive nature made her smile a lot, especially if he was openly curious about something; he was also very expressive and so she was in for entertainment whenever his face began to respond to whatever it was he was seeing or witnessing. Wilson made the _best _facial expressions!

The kitten licked its paw and made a 'tsk' of impatience, tail curling around its feet. It let out a long-drawn sigh.

"I've been speaking since I came here. It's nothing new nor special."

Wilson reared back, obviously disagreeing. Wasn't _special_? This was a scientific anomaly! His brow furrowed as he tried to understand. How could this cat not have any collection of breaking regular animal rules? Animals didn't, and never had, spoken.

"What are you...?" he breathed, eventually stopping his encirclement. Once again, the cat sighed, twitching its nose at something.

"Don't you mean 'who'? I'm regular," it purred, before heightening itself as much as possible. "My name's Casper. I've been here for centuries upon centuries... I was starting to think humans had died out, I haven't seen one in so long..." So this cat was a male then, judging by its name. Well, that cleared at least something up; one of the questions in Wilson's mind ceased to exist as he put Casper's gender to the side, glad to have at least one thing figured out. The next thing... what was even happening again? He was talking to a cat, no less.

Sensing he needed to ask some kind of follow up question, Wilson thought on his feet. But before the query:

"I'm Wilson, and this is my... good friend, Whimsy. A pleasure." he sighed, not sure how to accept the fact that he had just exchanged his name with an animal. "...How have you been alive so long...?"

"I already knew who you were." Casper seemed to giggle a little. "Silly, I'm magic. What did you expect?" he chuckled again, as if hosting magical powers was completely normal. Unbeknownst to them, it was; however, when Wilson did not laugh along with him, and looked more curious than anything, the cat's expression slowly began to change into one of disbelief. "You mean you're not magic...?" at this, both Wilson and Whimsy shook their heads. "What?! Then how are you here?! This place has never before been discovered, surely you can't have just uncovered it! There must be something else!" he argued blatantly, not content with their answer. How was it even possible they had accidentally stumbled upon somewhere that hadn't been touched for centuries?!

"I suppose we're just lucky...," Wilson mused, still not completely understanding the situation. He just couldn't get his head around it. Yes, he had described trees as "piney" before, and made puns about bees out of meek fun, but he had never once considered something so dastardly daft as a cat being able to talk and use magic. However, sitting there questioning it wasn't going to solve anything; he was merely wasting time. Swallowing his scientific values for the meantime, he nodded, once more getting in to grips with the conversation at hand. "We were just washed up here. We had an escape plan, see – it required travelling through the ocean. We swam a lot."

Whimsy frowned a little. She did not remember swimming all that much... perhaps her mind was just blocking out the journey there because it was a tough experience that her brain didn't agree with recalling. She shrugged it off, looking into the shadows.

"I see...," Casper mumbled, his tail flicking from side to side dubiously. "Well, you're fortunate."

Wilson raised one of his brows curiously, whilst the female of the group perked up, obvious interest coating her face.

"How so?"

"Well, one, nobody's ever survived going in that ocean before. And secondly, this is probably your best shot at getting out."

The words struck the gentleman hard. He swallowed. _Out_? As in, to the real world? Free at last? For months now, he had trodden upon this sorry excuse for an island, with monsters on his tail and beasts hiding in the most unexpected of places. He had suffered through terrain that nobody should have had to deal with and done things he would have never seen himself doing, such as murdering defenceless animals and hunting down huge, terrifying creatures.

Immediately, he grabbed the cat between his gloved fingers, desperation carved into his face. If he could just get this thing to speak, he could be free – back home... back to his science and his ever-failing experiments. He didn't mind that they failed, failure was just the beginning, and in no way something to frown at. It ensured you were on the road to discovering something new, even if it took a while to reach that discovery.

"H-How?!" he yelled, still not quite able to take in the fact. Casper wriggled in his grasp, soft black fur curling at Wilson's fingertips as he struggled to get free. In many ways, both Wilson and Whimsy were like this poor kitten, trapped between Maxwell's grasp with a potential way out of this whole messy ordeal, yet it was difficult to find and get free of the misery and hardship in the first place. Whimsy touched an arm to his shoulder in which he turned his head to.

"I think you're hurting him...," she whispered, and no sooner had Wilson acknowledged what she had said, did he let him go, the remote animal falling to the floor, landing smoothly on its feet, agile tail poised straight up as he gasped for breath slightly. Once his breathing returned to normal, he sat down and began to sort through his ruffled fur, licking his paw to busy himself.

"Well," he began in between grooming. "There are certain things you can use to build a device in which 'bends' dimensions. There's no other way to describe it... of course the dimensions don't bend... they just cross with the magic of this device. It allows you to 'jump' between worlds." he explained. Wilson raised a brow skeptically. It seemed that even a being whom had been there for years upon years didn't understand the mechanics of Maxwell's world...

"And how do we get those items?" he asked eagerly. Despite the inner vibe he was getting – one of disbelief and skepticism – he decided to press on, feeling closer to escape than he had ever felt. He could practically taste the freedom he was so very close as this brand new information entered his brain, being processed thoroughly. Whimsy was equally as interested, having been pushed back to the shadows... but something told her to keep quiet and allow Wilson to understand everything; that way, he could just explain it to her. He had a way of making her understand things.

"There are seven items you need, as well as the knowledge to make a basic 'body' for a functional machine. But judging by your occupation, you have plenty of experience in building. Even if they don't turn out so good in the end." Casper took a moment to snicker whilst Wilson gasped briefly.

"How did you kn-"

"Magic." the cat grinned. "Anyway, you can get these seven pieces by venturing through these seven doors," as the creature paused, Wilson looked confused. But there was onlyone door... what was that supposed to mean? There were more doors on the other side of this one door? He shook his head a little, trying to rid his mind of the fuzziness. "These seven doors each hold a piece in them, somewhere. Where, nobody knows – not even I, and I have gotten to the end."

"But, if you've gotten to the end, why didn't you escape?" Whimsy piped up before Wilson could get another word in edgeways. The kitten looked at her, tail flicking from side to side patiently.

"Even my magic wasn't enough to give me opposable thumbs to build the machine." he chuckled, joking feebly. "Really, back at the time, my magic was not very strong – I couldn't use it to assemble the pieces together. Now, I could, but I was... I was weaker back then. It wasn't enough. I knew how to teleport between each of the worlds once I had found the piece, and that was it," he confessed meekly, mewling slightly towards the end of his sentence. He may have possessed magical talent... but he was still only a tiny animal.

Whimsy nodded slowly, apparently satisfied with his answer after a little bit of thought.

"How tragic...," Wilson muttered. Casper nodded slightly.

"It is... but it's better this way. Besides, I like it here," he took a breath, pausing, the silence in the cave almost deafening once the speech had ceased. "But anyway, if you manage to collect those seven pieces, you can make what I call "The Dimension Device". That's your ticket out. But..."

Wilson and Whimsy exchanged a glance. But what? Was there really a but to be had? They could finally escape Maxwell's clutches if they could just figure out how to tackle these worlds. Out of the corner of her eye, Whimsy spotted another door; now looking for them, they were quite easy to spot, and she briefly pondered how she and her gentleman scientist had missed them in the first place. They were all the same as this door... wooden, and quite low down head-height-wise.

"But...?" they both chimed simultaneously. Casper peered up at them, dark blue eyes glistening slightly, reflecting the light of Wilson's torch in a fantastical fashion. He held his peace a moment longer before sighing a long drawn-out sigh.

"But, it's dangerous there... these worlds are all very different. It's difficult to anticipate just what you are dealing with. In fact, impossible. The worlds don't change, but there are monsters I'm certain you haven't faced before, no matter how tough you've had it elsewhere. Plus, the objects are in the most intricate of places... and with no source of help, and no clear definition of what you're looking for, it can be incredibly hard..." he mumbled, ears drooping slightly. He knew he had to get these two through... they looked terrible, and incredibly low on stock; without him and these worlds, they would surely die soon. Plus, he knew that if he had have been in their shoes, he would have wanted this opportunity more than anything... he'd have traded anything for it. He wouldn't accept dying for no purpose, and he knew that these two people would not either, just based on their eagerness to learn more alone.

Sneaking a glance at them, Wilson looked desperate and the girl beside him looked frightened. He couldn't tell whether it was fear that he wouldn't tell them more, or the fact that she knew what he knew: without this, they were roaming around, simply waiting for death to appear at some time. It was inevitable without anything else to live for other than to stay alive in the first place. Then again, if you had no reason to live, you had no reason to die either.

Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind as his ears shot up at the mini-brainstorm, his midnight eyes flickering with intelligence. If he could just... yes, that could work...

"Well, since humans have never encountered this place before...," he murmured, ears sifting from side to side slightly. "Perhaps I could help you. By putting... some kind of person in each world." he paused again, the plan developing as he spoke. He knew by now that he had the two's undivided attention and felt the pressure of having to think so quickly. "Yes... perhaps, I could use my magic to insert a somewhat 'iconic' survivor into each of the worlds, and feed them the knowledge they need to help you through it. Since I've been through it before, I know where the things are. I would just tell you but... the places aren't distinct, and the whole world – each of them – is so very topsy-turvy, it wouldn't make a difference."

By now, both the scientist and the sculptor looked very excited. It had never felt so real. Escape. It was almost a forgotten word by now. Allowing it to enter their mind _with _the possibility of it happening, and not just a fantasy, felt amazing, a chilling empowerment flowing through their veins.

"You'd do that...?" Whimsy whispered, her voice striken with wonder and enthusiasm. Could she see her family again if she was to get out...?

Casper nodded his head, making a soft noise of thought.

"It should be allowed, seen as though no human has ever come this far before..." Getting up, his paws shuffled as he moved to stand in front of the door they had previously unlocked with her key. He lifted a paw, and pressed the pad of it to the door, easing it open; the only thing visible was a white light, bright and blinding. No telling as to what was on the other side. Honestly, Wilson had seen it all now; he could even believe in a six legged unicorn being some kind of God, he was so overwhelmed with fantasy and wonderment.

"You should start with this one. This world's the easiest, from what I remember," the cat smiled. "It doesn't matter what order you collect the pieces in, since you assemble it at the end and not as you go. Watch out for beasts and evils though – there's a lot of them." he warned as he took a step away from the door, gesturing for them to go on through it with his head. As the two stood up, Casper gave a confident smile. Fitting for a cat. He suddenly felt a hand on his head, petting his warm fur; he purred habitually.

As Wilson touched the handle of the door, he suddenly thought of something.

"What about when we find it? How do we progress to the next world?"

The animal froze, the gears in his little mind turning quickly. He couldn't mess this up now...

"...I can make a mental link with the objects using my magic. Once you make contact with them, you'll make contact with me; I can provide a gateway for you once I get the message it's been collected. Don't worry, you don't have to do anything extra. Just touch it, and I'll feel something due to our link."

Wilson's eye twitched slightly at the sheer magnitude of this creature's magical capabilities. Before coming to the island, he claimed magic to simply be science that people just didn't understand yet... but now he knew it was in a different entity completely. Science and magic were nothing alike in terms of capabilities; magic was endless, apparently. Of course, magical capacity and capability varied from magical being to magical being, but nothing was out of reach as a whole. Science, there were limits. Limits and rules, and certain procedures that needed to be followed in order for it to work in your favour.

He shook his head slightly and then gave Casper a sincere smile.

"Thank you so much. For everything."

Meanwhile, Casper shook his head with a grin as the two then progressed through the door, the white light engulfing them whole, their shadows slowly disappearing as they pressed forwards. Inwardly, they should have known they should have doubted more forcefully; the last time they had been offered somewhere, they had wound up in Maxwell's hell-hole. Anyone would think that they would learn.

"It's nothing," the creature smiled as they could no longer be seen, using his magic to place the people there as promised. After a moment of silence, he relaxed; his part was done now, there was nothing else he could do until they progressed to the end. He moved towards the door and closed it, the wood creaking with age despite it's fine exterior. Casper knew how old these doors really were as far as his experience went... but they had been there even before he had arrived. That had been a dark time... a time in which he thought he would never be able to get back on his feet again. He felt as if he was going to die. He empathised with the desperate sorely because he knew what it felt like to long for life. He suppressed a shiver, brushing the fluffy fur of his chest down. It wouldn't be long now...

When Wilson and Whimsy eventually gained a sense of where they were, they took in their surroundings, though their eyes remained closed, as if they were glued together. The soft grass tickled their face, and by the feel of it, it was short and trimmed well, though there was nothing to trim it with in the first place. Also, from where Whimsy was, she swore she could feel something that felt like ash underneath her palm, all bitty and fine. Wherever they were, it was very...

_Hot_.

**X x**

**Done! So, yes, there was a lot of dialogue in the chapter, I tried to fix how much was in there, but the fact is, it all had to be in there. So, now you know about Casper, it should be a little easier to understand what went on by the end of the last chapter; however, it's fine to have questions now, or think you've found plot-holes. I guarantee that as the story progresses, they'll be patched up, I have this planned. **

**Anyhow, I hope you liked this chapter, give or take a little explanation. Sorry if it seemed too full or anything, but it all needed to be there. The next chapter in when the real original adventure begins. I do take into account that finding the items is a little like Adventure Mode with the Things to find, but at the same time, acknowledge that there are different – and original, you'll see – worlds, and the purpose is different, plus, it's much tougher, there are different monsters (this'll be shown throughout the story), different placements and magic too. And of course, characters from the game!**

**So yeah, I hope you liked it!**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~Jess~**


	3. The Flames Of Digression

**Hey guys, it's me, Agent Pumpkin here, but I'm sure you already knew that. **

**So, I'm here with the next instalment of We're All Pretenders, and I hope you enjoy it! I'd like to thank everybody who's reviewed and followed my story, and also for all the support I have gained from people; I've had people coming to me on DeviantART as well, telling me how disappointed they were about Wilson/Whimsy leaving Tumblr, and I'd just like to apologise for that. I have a journal about it on my DA page, and it may even return if demand is high enough. So yeah, sorry about that! But my Tumblr for Robyn is building up very nicely, so if you'd like to visit that and RP/ask questions, that's cool; I'd be delighted to talk to/with everybody. ^^ Link is on my profile.**

**Also, a little side-note; I'm currently writing another story whilst writing WaP (this story), and it's about one of Maxwell's shadow servants, so creatively named "Shadow" (nah, that's not his actual name, but I can't reveal that as it'll spoil another fic I have planned, haha). It's just a little bit of fun – but it needs love! Check it out! ;D**

**Okay, so, this chapter is a little shorter because I have AWFUL writer's block, but if I don't get it up, I'll get out of the habit of updating and we don't want that... please review! :)**

**~Jess~**

**X x**

The pair of them couldn't stop from sweating as the heat began to invade them uncomfortably. Whimsy felt as if she was burning up; it was a stupid thought, but they hadn't caught fire whilst travelling through the door, had they? It really was boiling hot here, as if being thrown into an oven at full heat. Eventually, she managed to pick herself up. When she did, her eyes grew wide.

"Everything's... on fire...," she whispered, looking around cluelessly. Everything about them was burning: what once were trees, grass, even the ground they were standing on sparked with heat every now and again. She was wonderstruck, how was this even possible...? Wilson would go crazy when he saw all the rules of science that had been broken in this one world. Another thing, how were they not choking to death on smoke, and dying? How were they even _alive _in such temperatures? From the corner of her eye, she noticed Wilson shifting a little. She mentally prepared herself.

As the scientist took a breath and pulled himself up, he froze rigid. It was difficult to tell what type of terror he was feeling; was it the ambiguity of the place, or was it all the shattered rules, getting into his system like broken fairytales would a child? He stared at the world in question... before backing off out of pure instinct. He didn't land too gracefully either as an assortment of whimpers tumbled out of his mouth like a sure-flowing waterfall.

Whimsy immediately set into motion, the poor man looked horror-stricken. She didn't suppose it was so much about science now, but not understanding how they were even alive, just as she had been pondering over. She took his shoulders as softly as she could and attempted to coax him out of his terrified stupor.

"Come on now, Wilson," she muttered quietly, reducing his whimpers of confusion to nothing as his eyes slid over to her, eyes locking intensely. He was listening , at the very least, if not absorbing the information properly. "If we just get through this world, and the other six, we can go home again. Wouldn't you like that? To go back to your science experiments, and your quiet, stress-free life? You wouldn't have anybody to bother you... nothing trying to kill you. It'd all be okay." she finished. She knew that she sounded naïve, but what could she do? The entire concept of going home, by now, was naïve. Quietly, the scientist exhaled, a slow smile coming onto his face.

"Y-You're right...," he murmured, nodding at her before watching her stand up, helping him to stand on his feet as well. It felt good, standing tall once more; it was in the human nature to attempt to be taller when feeling intimidated – it made them feel less susceptible to threat, even though the threat never left in the first place. It was a good mind trick, and so easy to do as well. "Thank you, Whimsy."

"It's nothing," she peered around, watching the flames dance around them. This world was so vivid, with both colour and a strange sense of life. True, they had seen fire millions of times before, and its use had only increased when they arrived in Maxwell's world, but those tiny, rather pathetic, camp-fires dulled in comparison to these wild and free flames. "It's really pretty, actually." she whispered. Wilson spared them a glance, before standing up, putting his bag on his back. He wanted out.

"We'd better start moving, Whimsy." he smiled, a slight determination there that he believed he had lost. Like his hope – he believed he had lost that too. But Whimsy, and now Casper and this grand opportunity, had restored it. "I don't know about you, my dear, but I quite fancy the idea of going home." he added with a good-natured chuckle. She giggled at him; that much was true, she could see it in his face, his desperation to get home. If they could just find these seven things and live to see the end of it, home-time was theirs.

She began to follow Wilson as he took the lead, walking in a random direction, dodging little flames every now and again. Silently, he was dreading walking through where he presumed a forest had once been, that was where the fire was thickest, meaning it'd be terribly hot and troublesome. He could almost guarantee a day's worth of travel through the labyrinth of heat, and he wasn't keen on that. Something sprung to mind though:

Where was this "iconic" survivor? Wilson was used to liars and deceit by now, courtesy of the demon who had stolen his fate and locked him in his world, but he'd be damned if he had been bested and made a fool of by a _cat_.

_A little further in._

He jumped as he heard the voice. He knew by now that it was Casper... but he hadn't come through with them. No, he was waiting in that dismal cave walk-way.

_Remember, I have a link with you ever since you entered this world– I can't read your thoughts, however, unless they're related to me; try not to doubt me, Wilson, I am helping you. The survivor is further in – they're waiting for you._

Wilson wasn't sure how he felt about this. How did he have a link with _them_ (or _him_, at least, he wasn't sure about Whimsy yet)? He didn't remember him ever mentioning so, like he had with the object they had to find in order to build the Dimension Device. Perhaps he had missed that detail out by accident in the rush to get them moving...? Yes, that was probably it. He briefly wondered if he could think back, and have a proper conversation.

"Sorry...," he mumbled towards the floor, earning a curious glance from Whimsy.

"What?"

"N-Nothing, nothing!" he exclaimed. Whimsy rose a brow, then shook her head.

"You're my dearest and most best friend, but you're still so _weird_." she faked a shudder, earning a nudge from him. Some time ago, he would have never dreamed of even making gentle contact with a female, never mind initiating a push, but he had learnt by now that he could relax somewhat around Whimsy. She didn't expect much of him, which was a lot different to what everybody else seemed to. He was always the bigger man, but really, sometimes all he wanted was to be a child, and have people excuse him just as they did stupid people, or people with a lack of judgement.

"I'll thank you kindly to revise your statement, because I am the one who took you under my wing." he smirked in response; true, but never regretted.

"Wilson, we've been through this before, you do not have wings."

He rolled his eyes at her usual snark, a soft smile on his face. Obviously she knew what he meant, she was just keen on making a joke. Or so he hoped – it'd be most amusing to imagine that she didn't understand, and the phrase had just gone over her head.

They continued to walk through the world, marvelling at the fantastical sights and admiring the fine, even flames that flickered relentlessly. It was then that Wilson swore he saw a figure in the near distance; one a little shorter than he, and apparently female as she was wearing a skirt, based on her silhouette. He couldn't tell indefinitely because the place was covered in fire, but she appeared to be carrying some kind of flame herself, a small contraption he couldn't make out from that far away in her hands.

Not wasting another moment, he grabbed Whimsy's wrist and rushed forwards towards the mystery person, his legs a mini-whirlwind of activity as he propelled forwards with ridiculous speed. Whimsy could only trail behind him, having given up trying to run at the same speed, her body dragging along in an almost amused fashion.

"Hello!" he called to her – yes, upon closer inspection, she was definitely a female, seems he had been right – eventually stopping his movements to her. He paused when she didn't say anything in response. This had to be the survivor Casper mentioned... right? He tried again, speaking up a little. "Excuse me? Can you help us?"

Slowly, the girl turned to face him, her eyes blank much like Whimsy's. It was only then he began to understand how young she was. With pigtails, he could even see a teddy bear poking out of her big rucksack.

"Don't you just love it here? Look at all the fire." the girl said softly, her voice slick with wonder and adoration. Odd. Wilson raised a brow; didn't she feel the raging temperatures in that cardigan of hers? How could she even wear such a thing? If he was being totally honest, he was slightly disturbed how the survivor of choice was a mere child.

"It's very... pretty." Wilson attempted. He felt foolish, the fire was nothing but a pest to him, and pretty was such a meek word.

"Pretty?" she asked, raising a thin brow at him. "It's beautiful! Fire's the best!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. She tugged at her cardigan slightly and gave the two questioning looks. What was going through her mind? She then looked at Whimsy. "...you're against him?"

Whimsy shook her head quickly. "Of course not! I travel with him!"

The girl took a moment to look at her, before slowly nodding her head, her little pigtails bouncing as she did so. Whimsy was still in shock, how could she assume she would want to pit against Wilson? Even though she didn't know them, it should have been abundantly clear that they had come together, not something they would do if they were against one another. And against one another for _what _exactly...? Surely even enemies would come together for such a chance as to get home again...

"I see," she said softly, looking at Wilson and then at Whimsy again. "You're looking for the Thing, yes? Well, I know one thing: it looks a little like this." she then proceed to pick a stick out of her bag, and nonchalantly set it alight with the lighter she was holding, despite a burning inferno surrounding her. She then began to draw a rough sketch, the image she left behind wondrously remaining in the air for them to study. It was like... _magic_. Wilson could only assume that that was how she knew they were searching for this object too: Casper's magic. He was going to have to get accustomed to the fact that the events that were happening just couldn't be explained logically – or most of them anyway.

Whimsy stared at the image, desperately trying to remember the vague shape of it. This girl was in no way an artist, and the lack of a three dimensional area was annoying her, her natural sculpting tendencies kicking in whether she liked it or not. But the basic shape was truly a fantasy; no words could put it into perspective. There were lots of little pieces everywhere, presumably to attach to something else – the other Things once they found them. Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand appearing in front of her face.

She looked to Wilson to discover he was in the same predicament, before he coyly accepted the hand, and shook it gently. Whimsy mirrored him, shaking her hand uncertainly. The girl smile widely.

"I'm Willow." she said with a grin. "And I'll be helping you through here."

**X x**

**Done. Finally – I've SERIOUSLY BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR FIVE DAYS NOW, AND THIS IS ALL I GOT, I'M SORRY.**

**Yes, I perceive Willow as a little younger, get over it. I really don't want a lot of grief because of this; she just SEEMS younger. She's more outspoken, even in the game she's witty and quite colloquial from the couple of quotes I've seen. Then again, some of the other characters are – I suppose it's the whole imagery, really: the little girl with pigtails and a teddy bear and, in the real world, a lolly pop. Plus, it makes her whole wonderment with fire that much sweeter, as if she doesn't understand the dangers and just wants to be happy.**

**Anyhow, please review – more will happen next chapter. Please give "A Day in the Life of a Shadow" a look as well – you may like it, it's pretty deep. :)**

**~Jess~**


	4. A New Threat?

**Hey guys, it's me, Agent-Pumpkin, but you probably already knew that. **

**Anyhow, yes, this is the next chapter to We're All Pretenders. I'm really sorry that my updates are becoming more scarce, it has to do with school kicking in again, and being pushed for time. It's my last year there, so naturally I'm going to be very busy, studying for all of my exams and putting extra effort into things. I'm sorry that this isn't very ideal for you readers, but I am aiming to get the chapters written as fast as possible. I'm under a lot of pressure these days, however, so I can guarantee updates will be few and far between, I'm afraid. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

**But please, review; I'd love to hear your opinion on the newest chapter; hit me up with a review if you think I deserve it. Enjoy.**

**X x**

The girl was a mysterious one; one who was attracted to fire, her eyes burning with a unique passion, much like the ever-alive flames around them. It was odd to think one could be so totally compelled by something that could be considered such a danger to anybody in a general life-time. Fire killed things so easily... destroyed things without hassle, and so it was quite an oddity to find somebody so attached to it that she would even kill in order to defend it.

Even so, Whimsy knew that she was just a good a person as any. Talking to her for a while, leaving Wilson to trail in the background for a change, she learned that Willow just had a passion, the same as everybody else did. You had to adore something, otherwise there was no point in ever trying to achieve anything.

"I still think it's amazing that you remain so dedicated to protecting it." Whimsy smiled at the girl next to her. Walking alongside another girl was a luxury she thought she would never have again. Wilson was a joy to talk to, but conversing with a female was something else. Comfortable beyond compare.

"It's nothing," she replied, somewhat shyly as she clung to the straps of her bag that so tightly hugged her shoulders. Her bag was heavy, but she didn't see it as fit to complain; she'd been lugging it around for long enough to just accept the fact that moaning about it wouldn't change a thing. "I do love fire, but it isn't some kind of obligation for me to protect and preserve it. I just do my best to keep it as it is because I adore it so."

"But that's _why_ it's so amazing!" the sculptor giggled, as if it was obvious. "The fact that you don't have to do it, but do anyway says a lot about you." she grinned, the friendly smile still carved into her face. It was brilliant. She loved to smile, she was generally a happy person and she dreaded the feeling of never being able to smile genuinely again due to all of her misfortune. She didn't want to be typical – she didn't want to simply bury herself in pity, and wait until she died. She wanted to live. To be free.

"If you say so..." Willow mumbled, a little bit of colour rising to her cheeks. She wasn't used to being made a fuss of, that much was for sure. As she twirled the end of her pigtail around her little finger, she smiled and decided that she liked this girl; it'd be sad when she eventually had to pass through to the next world. Then again, Willow mused, Whimsy deserved to live; it'd give her the greatest pleasure to know she had helped someone who truly deserved to be free, out of this nightmare. It was possible... but she had to keep it possible. Clinging onto her for her own selfish needs would hinder that.

Suddenly, she stopped dead. So still, and so sudden, that Wilson bumped into her.

"...is something wrong...?" the scientist questioned, the first words he had spoken in a rather long time. The fire-starter remained solid, as if witnessing something terrible, before relaxing ever so slightly, her expression grim. From beside her, Whimsy looked worried; what had caused such an out-of-place reaction?

"I'm fine...," she muttered in return, but neither of the pair looked particularly convinced. She didn't _look _fine. On the contrary, she looked mortified. "L-Let's just keep moving..." she added, eventually shuffling forwards once more. For a moment or two, Wilson and Whimsy did not follow, staring after her with concern. There was no way to tell why she had just stopped, but there was definitely a cause for question. After looking each other in the eye for a moment, trying to deduce something regarding Willow's odd behaviour, Wilson cleared his throat and tore his gaze away, excusing himself in a jumble of "excuse me"'s and "A-Ah"'s. Whimsy rose a brow, before shrugging and tagging on after him, not wanting to lose sight of either of them. Even so, she had an eerie feeling about her...

**X x**

"Still nothing?!" was the response from Maxwell as his shadow cronies returned empty handed once more. He was now perfectly certain that they had trailed out of his area by now... but how? True, the thought had been there in his mind, bright as day, but he had wanted to dismiss it for the sheer inconvenience it would cause him. However, there was no dodging reality.

He sighed outwardly, and began to tap his fingers rhythmically against the arm of his seat in annoyance. How was it even possible to trail off of his land when he _owned _the damn sea they had so callously thrown themselves in? It didn't make sense! He had _watched _them almost drown, and then had turned his head away for a moment, the next thing he knew being that they weren't anywhere to be seen. He assumed they had drowned, and had even begun to look for new victims... but then he became aware of their presences once more as Wilson resurfaced somewhere; however, he couldn't place it. Couldn't see them. Couldn't even feel them – that final connection with the pair of them was the last thing he felt before they were disconnected all together.

He sighed irately. It would probably _never _make sense to him.

They had been _right there_...

**X x**

"So," Wilson spoke up, having caught up to Willow. He had tried to make conversation regarding her stop earlier, but she had remained silent about it, and so he had given up, respecting her privacy as a gentleman should do. "Where did you get that lighter from? It looks awfully old." he stated. He had meant it in praise, though she glared at him from the corner of her eye, a notion that made him quite uncomfortable to say the least. She then softened once more, and looked at him properly, still leading them onwards and through the blazing hot land.

"It was my father's." she answered, truthfully enough. Wilson nodded in understanding; it only made utmost sense that she would keep it around with her. He smiled a warm smile, hoping to ease her into saying more. "...it's the last thing I have of him" Willow admitted after a short moment of silence between them. By now, Whimsy had listened in as well, looking shocked.

"Wh-What do you mean...?" Wilson asked, his eyebrows arching in a sad fashion.

"Well, all of my family passed away in a house fire," she said, looking downwards and at the red hot floor, the grass crunching softly under her worn shoes. "It was a total accident, a candle blew way out of control, and things just went on from there. And this was the only thing that they recovered." she stated, holding the lighter up a little bit. Whimsy felt pained; she couldn't imagine her mother and father dying, it'd be way too difficult for her to cope with. She would rather die with them than survive and have them all perish. She could only imagine how terribly difficult it was for Willow to do anything with herself; it was at that moment that she really, truly, aspired to be like her. To not anything hold her back, no matter how bad. It was only the right thing to do...

Wilson looked mortified as he spoke up softly. "I-I'm so sorry... if I'd have known, I never would have... a-asked you..."

"It's okay," Willow smiled, surprisingly bright. "But I don't want to talk about anything in my past... if that's all the same with you, Wilson."

The gentleman had never nodded his head so fast. But then something struck him; if a fire had taken everything away from her... how could she even stand to be near it? How could she even carry her father's lighter around, knowing that that very object could have been just as guilty in a house fire as the candle was?

"Why is it that you like fire...?" he blurted out mid-thought, before he could stop himself. He felt his hands fly over his mouth as the words slurred out. He hadn't meant to say anything, hadn't meant to voice his questions. It was supposed to be his own philosophy.

But what he didn't expect from her was a smile. And then a chuckle. And then even a soft little laugh.

"I like it, because even though it's the thing that took my parents away," she paused, looking at the flames around her with a loving spark in her blank eyes. Something that Wilson didn't think was possible. "It also makes me feel closer to them. Because it was the last thing to touch them. I didn't get to say goodbye, so staying near, and surrounded by fire, makes me feel as if my family is still there beside me. It's the only closure I will ever have really..." she sighed, though her face didn't look at all unhappy. She seemed to bask in pure joy at the fact that she was surrounded by the very thing killed her entire family off. For a younger girl, she certainly tolerated things well. Whimsy sniffed a little.

"That's really beautiful, Willow...," she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes a little. She would be lying if she said the story hadn't touched her on a very emotional level. Perhaps it was due to her being so very close to her family before she had been taken elsewhere by Maxwell. She felt even further away from them now, here in Casper's hands (or paws, if you're picky) as they worked their way to freedom. Odd, since this was their ticket _back _to their families, yet it felt so very far away. The closer they became, the longer the miles left to travel seemed. "I admire you so much."

The small girl smiled a gentle smile, patient and friendly.

"Thank you." she nodded simply, returned by Whimsy.

For a while, the three remained in silence, thinking over their predicament. It was without a doubt that Casper had certainly picked a decent person to accompany them to whatever they were supposed to find. As they entered what appeared to be a forest of burning trees – again, Wilson's eye was twitching at the sheer lack of rules here – Whimsy felt a nervous feeling creep up on her, similar to when Maxwell had been around her. She had detested it so strongly, she had hoped that he simply fall through the floor and have it swallow him whole. Whenever he was near her, she wanted to beat him within an inch of his life, and then leave him there, bleeding and mangled. Possibly dying.

But here, the feeling was so similar, she almost felt sick. Sick at the notorious shivers running up and down her spine. Sick at the all too familiar tingling in her fingers, and the twitching of her thumbs. Sick at the sight of smoke, reminding her of the iconic cigar he always seemed to have with him. She and him had quite a history; a dark, rather violent history, but a history nonetheless. He had been inside of her head, delved through her thoughts to his heart content... speaking of which, the feeling of him leaving her had been such a peculiar one. He was simply there one minute and then gone the next, and she could never tell when he would be back. If he would be back. Even though she was out of his grasp now, in what Casper considered "his world", she still didn't feel very safe.

That was when she was forced to stop by Wilson grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back. She staggered into him, her back hitting his chest; a moment in which she swore her heartbeat increased. The thought of being so close to him made her feel funny... fuzzy and alight with energy she had never really felt before. It was new and definitely exciting.

"Get back, my dear," he murmured, sounding all too nervous. She gulped down her minute curiosity and pushed her thoughts about him to the back of her mind for safe-keeping.

"Wh-Why...?" she stammered, not feeling him leave her like she expected. She did however, feel his grip tighten slightly, his taut fingers gripping her shoulder more protectively.

"You didn't hear it?" he asked, raising a brow. Not that she could see. "Willow and I think there's something ahead. Something... not so good."

How on Earth had she missed it? Had she really been so absorbed in her thoughts? It didn't matter though, as she heard a furious shuffle of footsteps – and they were definitely heading her way. She stiffened, feeling the familiar adrenaline course through her veins; the same substance that had been there when she had been fleeing from Maxwell's monsters, alongside Wilson. The panic was the same... that terrible, flustered panic.

"O-Oh dear," she whispered as she saw a shadow emerge in the near distance, charging towards them. She mentally prepared herself; the last thing she needed was to go on rampage, much like she had in front of Wilson, in front of Willow. She'd terrify her. Wilson, somebody quite close and personal to her, had barely been able to stand it. She quietly mumbled:

"What on Earth is that...?"

**X x**

**Done for now. I believe Willow was explained nicely for now. Yes, I'm sorry for the shitty update, I'm VERY pushed for time, as I explained above. I have two tests tomorrow alone, sop I have been studying all day – I felt too guilty to leave the update for another day though so I hurried to finish it. I hope it at least stems your interest long enough to keep reading, and I hope to hear from you in the reviews section. Stay tuned!**

**~Jess~**


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